George Bush for President 1988 Campaign Brochures

‘THE LEADER AMERICA NEEDS FOR THE FUTURE’

Throughout his life, George Bush has shown -- time and time again -- that he has the ability, integrity and leadership required to meet and overcome tough challenges.

His years of experience in private business and at the highest levels of our government have earned him the reputation as a man who gets the job done right.

He has the range of experience, the commitment to excellence and the vision of peace and economic opportunity for America that we need in our next President.

At the center of George Bush's life is his family. His parents instilled in him strong values that are the basis for his exemplary achievements and it is as a family man that the Vice President speaks out on the important issues America faces and the need to protect our future.

George and Barbara Bush have been married since 1945. They have four sons, George, Jeb, Neil, and Marvin and one daughter, Dorothy. They are the proud grandparents of ten grandchildren, aged 1 to 12.

George Bush enlisted in the U.S. Navy on his eighteenth birthday and became the youngest World War II Navy pilot at the time. He flew 58 combat missions, was shot down in enemy territory (but completed his bombing mission in a damaged plane) and was rescued by a U.S. submarine. Vice President Bush is a true American war hero...he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and three air medals for bravery.

He knows the horror and destruction of war...and will work to build and preserve a lasting peace in our world.

In the late forties, George and Barbara Bush and their young son moved to Midland, Texas, where George began a career as a businessman in the energy industry.

George Bush knows, first-hand, the obstacles and challenges today's workers and business people face and will expand upon the pro-growth, job-creating and free enterprise spirit of the Reagan years.

George Bush became the first Republican elected from his Houston district in 1966 and was re-elected in 1968 without opposition. As a Member of Congress, he established himself as a man of principle, integrity, and forthrightness...and was active in dealing with excessive government spending, taxes, civil rights and environmental concerns.

As Ambassador to the United Nations in the early '70s, George Bush stood up for America's interests during a time of tense international relations. As a firm, skillful negotiator, he gained the respect of friends and foes alike for the job he accomplished.

George Bush served as Chairman of the Republican Party at a critical period in its history. He is credited as the tireless leader who held our Party together at a difficult time.

In 1974, George Bush helped open the doors to the People's Republic of China and served as Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office in Peking. He set the stage for the beginning of a successful relationship between our two countries.

George Bush was called on to serve as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency at a time when it was plagued with budget cutbacks, low morale, and eroding support. He turned the Agency around by restoring and rebuilding its role in our national defense.

Ronald Reagan selected George Bush as his running-mate at the 1980 Republican convention. They were re-elected by a landslide victory in 1984. The Vice President has served our President and our nation with loyalty, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.

‘George Bush on the Issues Facing America’

EDUCATION

"I want to be remembered as the education President. All our hopes for our children will mean little if we don't make sure that the education they're given is outstanding. If we provide special attention to those with special needs, we can wipe out illiteracy the way we wiped out polio. "I favor continued funding of the college work-study program, expansion of the income-contingent loan program, and continuation of grants to low-income students. "I have also proposed tax-free College Savings Bonds, to make it easier for parents to save for college tuition."

TAXES

"We must continue -- and accelerate our efforts to cut the federal budget deficit. There are those who say we must balance the budget on the backs of the workers -- and raise taxes again. But they are wrong. I am not going to raise your taxes."

FAMILY VALUES

"I was part of a strong family growing up, and I have been fortunate to have a strong family grow up around me. I have had many great and exciting moments in my life, but I can say without equivocation that my family has been my rock and my foundation and the source of my greatest joys -- from the deep satisfaction of having provided for my children, of seeing them grow up and marry and have families of their own, to the simple pleasures of grandchildren bouncing on our bed before breakfast."

ARMS CONTROL

"In our arms control negotiations with the Soviets, our objective is carefully defined: We seek the best possible agreement, consistent with the security of the free nations. An agreement that leaves the democratic nations less secure is no triumph, in fact, it's against America's interests. We should never make a deal, and we will never sign an agreement that puts at risk the interest and security of our allies -- in Asia or in Europe!"

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

"I believe America can compete -- particularly in agriculture. I believe we can take our corn and beef abroad and increase our world market share -- as long as long as we don't have to contend with the protectionist agricultural policies of Europe and Japan. But if the Democrats' trade bill passes, the very first victims will be our farmers.

Here are three things we can do for the future of rural America: We can open markets abroad -- my top agricultural priority. We can develop the rural economy.

And we can find new uses for our agricultural products. These goals will not be achieved overnight, but they represent the direction in which we must go -- freer markets, reduced government involvement, and expanded world trade."

ENVIRONMENT

"I don't think we've done enough to protect the environment these past dozen years or so. I don't think we've given the land its due. Sooner or later, we're going to pay the price of our distraction -- unless we act now and recommit ourselves to protecting the land we love."

TRADE

"Certainly there are unfair trading practices out there. And we must do all in our power to guarantee free and fair trade and to see that our trading partners play by the rules. I believe we can compete successfully without protectionism. I believe Americans want to compete rather than hide."

THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT

"In the past seven years, we've worked to dismantle what was wrong in government. Now our job is to build the kind of government we want -- a government that serves the people effectively and economically and ethically, a government that remembers the people are its master, not its servant."

CENTRAL AMERICA

"I will continue to support democracy and freedom and aid to the Contras. I don't want to see a Communist-beachhead established in Central America."

ETHICS

"I want people in government who want to make a contribution, not a buck. The Bush Administration will be known for its integrity. "Just because we support free enterprise doesn't mean we can't be critical of its excesses. And for those who go over the line into criminality, I say throw the book at them. I say treat white-collar criminals as you would treat any other criminal. Lock 'em up."

SOCIAL SECURITY

"America's elderly can rest assured that I will protect their Social Security benefits. I will not make Social Security a partisan issue:"

U.S. SOVIET RELATIONS

"We need to talk to the Soviets. This is a nuclear age, which means it's simply not sane to sit in stony silence at bomb's length from a powerful adversary. The

East-West conflict is so dangerous that we owe it to our people to make every effort to resolve practical problems whenever possible, or to seek measures that might reduce the risk of military confrontation. But we must act with a strength that is not only real, but is recognized by the world as real."

DEFICIT

"We should work to balance the budget, not by raising taxes but by cutting spending. I will fight a tax increase every step of the way. And to cut spending, give me the Balanced Budget Amendment and the Line Item Veto."

ABORTION

"I support a Constitutional Amendment that would reverse the Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade decision on abortion made in 1973. I also support a human life amendment with an exception for the life of the mother, rape, or incest. We should also strongly support alternatives to abortion especially adoption. I favor streamlining the adoption process and making adoption a superior alternative to abortion."

AIDS

"We must wage an all-out war against the disease -- not against people. The most important thing we can do is to tell our people the facts about AIDS and what they can do to protect themselves from it and to prevent it from spreading any further. We've got to put into the hands of parents and students and people throughout America the facts about AIDS in a thoughtful, sensitive manner."

ALCOHOL FUELS

"Detroit is ready now to -- make cars that would run on any combination of gasoline and alcohol -- either ethanol, made from corn or methanol, made from natural gas or coal or even wood. Cars produce less pollution on alcohol fuels, and they perform better, too. Let us turn away from our dependence on imported oil to domestic products -- corn, natural gas, and coal -- and look for energy not just from the Middle East but from the Middle West."

CAPITAL GAINS TAX REDUCTION

"From Benjamin Franklin and Henry Ford to today's computer pioneers, entrepreneurs have been the engine of economic growth, despite the risks they face. New businesses produce new jobs...To get the savings and investment that we need, we should cut the capital gains tax to 15 percent on investments held for at least one year."

STRATEGIC DEFENSE INITIATIVE

"Successful research on SDI can lead to an effective defensive shield, one that lifts from the shoulders of mankind the fear of nuclear annihilation. It is both moral and logical to look for a solution that is better than mutually assured destruction.”

"FOUR AMERICAN Rs"

"You often hear that you can't teach values. I don't buy it. I think most of us know what constitutes good character. It includes such qualities as decency and fairness, honesty and tolerance, self-discipline and respect for law. We should teach our children what I call the four Rs -- reading, writing, arithmetic, and respect."

RELIGION

"Religion has always played an important role in American fife. The values it imparts are reflected in our Constitution, and I believe strongly that morality and ethics must always stand at the center of American society and government America is a land of religious diversity Our tolerance is -- one of our nation's great strengths. I know what motivates me is my faith and my family."

SCHOOL PRAYER

"Education is not just the teaching of facts and figures that make up our democratic way of life. We must teach values. I favor voluntary prayer in school as an extension of our commitment to teaching values. I believe that students should have the right, if they wish, for a momentary reflection, meditation, or prayer.”